Hanged Man
by Miss-Nyss95
Summary: Modern AU. Fenris escapes a terrible life and finds himself in New York City. Needing work that pays under the table, (after all he doesn't want to be found) he finds a job at none other than The Hanged Man. Shenanigans ensue, from bar brawls to love triangles Fenris will live through it all. Rated T for safety, may become M later.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is kind of a crack fic, kind of not, it's also a really weird universe. It's modern day but magic does exist and although there are no Templar's trying to lock mages up there is a lot of prejudice and hate regarding them. The magic in this universe is not nearly as strong as it is in Dragon Age. This fic is mostly lighthearted but there are serious moments (Like the entire first chapter). Anywho, ya the first chapter might be a bit of a downer but it'll get better soon, I promise. There will be pizza and party's and drunken brawls and maybe even a love triangle. oooOOOO. Rating may change later, depends if any smut makes it into the story. (Let me know if your cool or no cool with that.) And last but not least I would really appreciate reviews, like a lot! I want to know if it's even worth my time posting this story so please REVIEW! I'll give you presents if you review.**

* * *

"Alright kid, this is as far as I go," a man clad in simple shorts and t-shirt said.

He was a gruff looking man with a stringy beard and sunburn skin. He spoke to a younger man with a tall but slight build, dark olive skin and stark white hair. The boy also had the most peculiar looking scars; he'd had a tough life, there was no doubt, what with his tense, guarded demeanor and brooding eyes, this _kid_ wasn't someone you messed with. Period.

"Alright," the youth said, looking over the side of the boat towards the shore. "That is Florida?"

"Yup," the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash in a water proof baggie. "Here, this will get you to New York and pay for food and some new clothes. After you get there go see Varric, he owns a bar called the Hanged Man. He's got work for you, as for a place to stay… well, New York has plenty of places for squatters." He held the money out.

The other man accepted the money and the advice with a nod. Then he climbed over the rail of the boat and readied himself to jump in and swim to shore. The sun burnt man grabbed his shoulder. "Hey… Good luck, Fenris."

The younger - Fenris - nodded and shook his hand. "Thank you and goodbye." Then he turned away and dove into the water.

* * *

One week, seven Grey Hound bus rides and no showers later Fenris found himself standing outside the Hanged Man. He frowned, there was loud music blaring from the bar. He sighed. He probably shouldn't accept this Varric fellows help, but what else could he do? He walked into the bar, attracting a few strange looks. One man stopped him and said that if he wasn't going to buy something he should move on. Fenris looked down at himself and realized that he must have looked like some scruffy homeless man, which he supposed he was. He hadn't bothered buying new clothes so his were rumpled and dirty he hadn't shaved and as always he was barefoot. He hated shoes. With a burning passion, he hated shoes, but he knew he had to look strange without them.

"I'm looking for Varric." he said simply.

"Hmm," the man said with a frown. "He's over there," pointing to the bar where he was talking to a very busty woman in very little clothes, probably a prostitute. He went over to Varric.

"Pardon me," He said, trying to be polite. It sounded false and strained even to him.

Varric looked over at him with raised brows. Varric was a stout man, not very tall but he obviously compensated with muscle and a certain charm. He had red hair that covered him…. Everywhere, it appeared.

"How can I help you?" Varric asked with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"I'm here for work." Fenris said. "A mutual friend sent me your way."

Varric frowned. "Are you Fenris?"

"I am." He replied.

Varrics frown deepened and he turned away, ordering a drink. "He said he was sending me someone I could use as a bouncer, not some little…" Varric turned to scrutinize Fenris again, "Twink." He muttered at last.

Fenris' eyes narrowed slightly but he chose to make no comment. "I'm tougher than I look."

Varric nodded, "I know, our… friend would not misinform me but I was hoping that when he sent you my way that you'd be someone who'd intimidate the rough-housers." He shrugged, "All well, at least you'd be able to catch them off guard."

The busty woman who had been sitting quietly watching the exchange chose now to speak. "So," she flicked her ears, "You're among the masses to get that ear surgery done, huh?"

Fenris frowned, "It wasn't my ide,." he growled out.

"I see," she paused and stared some more, looking over his whole body like he might be something tasty she was interested in eating. "My name's Isabella. I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot of each other, so I thought I should get the introductions over with now."

Fenris nodded briskly to her, "It's a pleasure."

"Indeed," she said raking her eyes over his body once more before turning back to Varric. "Anyways, I have work to do, so I'll see you later." Then she stood and sauntered over to a different part of the bar.

Varric just nodded and turned back to Fenris. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. "Take this, go buy some decent shoes and a hotel room for a couple of nights, shower, eat, all that important stuff, then come back here tomorrow at eight, you'll do this every night except for Monday. Okay?"

Fenris accepted the money and nodded, "Good. Now get out of here, you're grossing out the customers. Don't you dare come back until you smell better!" He shouted after Fenris as he left.

* * *

Fenris took Varrics' advice and got himself a hotel room nearby. He settled himself in then ran back out and bought some new clothes, just a pair jeans and a couple of shirts, but it was better than what he had now. He also bought a new pair of shoes although he glared disdainfully at them the whole time. Maker, he hated shoes. So constricting; but he knew they would be necessary so he got them anyways. On the way back to his hotel room he stopped at a McDonalds' for a quick dinner. Once he had finally gotten back he took a very long, very hot shower. He ended up using all of his complimentary body wash and shampoo trying to get all the grime off his body and out of his hair. An eternity later, when he had finished scrubbing himself he stepped out of the shower. As he did his eyes were drawn to the fogged mirror. Fenris simply glared at the mirror as the steam slowly evaporated from the glass, slowly revealing more and more of him. He was thin, but he wasn't in anyway weak, that was obvious. Hard muscles rippled beneath his glistening skin. Anyone who thought they could take Fenris on in a fight would be in for one nasty surprise. The thought made Fenris grin. It disappeared as quickly as it had found his lips. Fenris didn't like to see how humorless and… cold it looked. It was downright feral. Everything about Fenris seemed cold and pained. Fenris hated the way his eyes had this haunted look to them, but then again, he was haunted… and he was hunted, and he was so incredibly tired. Fenris had to look away from those haunted eyes; instead he held his arms out to inspect them. Silvery markings wound around his arms, crawling up his shoulders, his neck, not ending until the markings touched his bottom lip. He touched them carefully. Most would look at them and see a very interesting tattoo. If only they were something so simple, so painless. He dropped his arms and looked back up at his reflection.

"Your life can only get better from here," Fenris said out loud to himself.

He turned away from the mirror. Maybe that was true, but when and if things did get better… Would the good things be snatched away from him again?


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey kids. Sorry about the long wait, the computer I was using previously passed away so I had to wait until I had a new computer before I could continue with the story. I really am sorry :( Anyways, the next chapters should be coming up much faster now. Be excited! We meet Ander's for sure next chapter and maybe even some of the Hawke family! Yaya! Anyways please remember to review. I want at least three before the next chapter! Also, if you're interested in throwing some prompts my way for future chapters, I'd love a few betas! A friend of mine has given me some great idea's already that I think you guys will really enjoy in the future. Anyways Read, Review and Enjoy!"**

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Fenris slept for a long time, so long in fact that when he finally rolled out of bed and looked at the clock he realized that he only had two hours before his shift at the Hanged Man was supposed to start.

He rolled out of bed with a sigh and stretched. He dressed quickly but simply threw his shoes in his bag, hoping that he could get away with not wearing them. He took all of his things and checked out of the hotel before getting a bit to eat before his shift started.

He got to the Hanged Man at about 7:30 so the front door was locked. He went around back to find the door open. He walked inside and slipped quietly in. Although the bar was closed there was still a few people milling about the place. People who worked servers were pulling down chairs and doing some last minute stock up before the bar opened an hour later.

There were others around to, who didn't appear to work their, like Isabela, the prostitute from the night before... Or was she a hooker? Fenris made a note to observe her a bit closer and see if he could figure that out for sure. Standing next to her was a broad shouldered woman with red hair. She was scowling at Isabela and seemed to be scolding her for something. Fenris also noticed her police uniform and made another mental note to avoid the woman.

"Fenris!"

At the sound of his name Fenris looked up to the second story of the bar where the office was located, Varric was standing just outside the door, waving his up.

"You're early" he said, grinning. He seemed to be in a better mood today than last night. "You clean up pretty good, Elf."

Fenris nodded in thanks and looked around, "Thank you for the... advance." Fenris said.

"It was no problem," Varric said. "Alright so let's..." he trailed off as he noticed Fenris' bare feet. "Umm, Fenris... Where the fuck are your shoes?"

Fenris cleared his throat awkwardly. "In my bag. I'll wear them if I have to but I'm not a huge fan of shoes."

Varric stared and Fenris' feet for a few more moments then shook his head. "Whatever, Elf. Do what you want, but I don't want to hear about it if you cut your foot open and contract A.I.D's I do't ant to hear about it."

Fenris' lip twitched, "I'll be fine, I assure you."

"Whatever," Varric said, continuing down the steps. "Anyways, I'm going to give you a brief job description, or what's expected of you anyways. You're not going to be one of the door bouncer's. You are going to basically just mill around, keep an eye out for trouble. _Never _interfere before the first punch has been thrown, is that clear?"

Fenris nodded.

"Good, and another thing, you're not going to like this one... We can't eject people for just being assholes. If a guy is being a dick to his girlfriend, unfortunately, you can't do anything about it. Until the guy either gets physical or harasses one of the servers or gets complained about we can't do anything about it."

Fenris eyebrows knitted together as he scowled.

Varric shrugged, "It sucks, I know but unfortunately this day in age it is way to easy to get sued, as a bar I've faced way to many lawsuits, and even though I've never lost a case, it still cost money just to show up, which, let me tell you after awhile... It really fucking adds up."

Fenris still didn't looked pleased but he nodded grudgingly, "I understand."

"Good." Varric said, they had made it to the bar, Varric walked behind the counter and began inspecting. "Another thing, avoid getting physical yourself if you can. You can pull people away from each other when they start fighting but let them go once their semi calm." He picked up a shot glass, scrutinized it, then walked over to a nearby sink and gave it a quick wash before replacing it.

"Anyways, like I said, if you can avoid actually hitting someone, do it, intimidation is really useful in that regards but if you do have to hit someone, that's fine, I;m not going to fire you for throwing one or two necessary punches."

The red haired police woman looked up at that, "But don't make a habit of it."

Isabela laughed, "Avaline, you're paid to shoot people for a living, don't you think you're being a bit hypocritical, lecturing Fenris."

"Shut up, whore," Avaline snapped, "You don't know anything about my job."

"I know it involves you coming and bothering me, every chance you get."

Avaline snorted, "I just don't want to have to wake up one morning and have my day involve scraping your corpse out of the gutter."

"That's not a very pleasant image, Avaline. And for the love of the Maker, I can hold my own, so stop being such a twat."

Avaline made another disgusted noise and stood quickly, nearly knocking over her stool. "Stupid bitch." She snapped, spinning on her heal and storming out.

Varric sighed, "I wish you wouldn't piss her off so much."

Isabela shrugged, "She just hates to lose an argument." She looked over and Fenris and grinned, "You should see here when she loses at poker." Isabela laughed, "It's both hilarious and terrifying."

Fenris glanced warily at the door Avaline had just exited, "I'll keep it in mind."

"Be sure you do," Varric said, rubbing the side of his face, remembering an old bruise as a result of too much alcohol and a bad game of poker for Avaline.

Isabela smiled, remembering the same game. "Oh, Varric guess who's back from Ireland?!"

Varric looked up at her for a moment then pulled out his phone, "When does the new semester start?"

"Next week," Isabela said cheerily.

"Well, it'll be nice to see Daisy again, be sure to bring her by."

"Of course."

Fenris couldn't help but be a bit curious as to who Daisy was.

"Oh, and one more thing that should be obvious but a lot of people don't seem to get. DON'T DRINK WHILE YOU'RE WORKING!"

Fenris grinned and nodded. "Of course."

"Good, now brace yourself, we open in less that an hour."


End file.
